I'm SO sorry I haven't checked in for awhile. I was actually trying to wean myself off the Kitchen forum and look into other hobbies, but fortunately I keep getting drawn back in. LOL Here's a pic of uninstalled tiles that are sitting on the counter. The main thing gives these tiles character is they are handmade. So our backsplash guy had to make sure that the grout lines made up for the uneven edges. Also, the actual surface of the tiles itself is uneven - some tiles have areas that pop forward a bit more on the sides. You'll notice the edges of the tiles below are not perfectly straight lines. Tile guy was VERY diligent in adjusting accordingly. Finally, there is colour variation from tile to tile. So again, gives it a different look that other subways. I think this shot from my blog shows the colour differences quite well. DH says that it looks like a natural stone/marble due to the colour variation. With that in mind, I think that the non-handmade subway tiles look wonderful but have a different look. More uniform in colour, edges, and surface flatness. I'm assuming the Daltile is a non-handmade tile? I don't think you should be concerned about it looking boring, but it will look different than the Ann Sacks. Why are you worried about going matte? I think it will balance well with your polished Bianco Antico. I can see clearly from your paper template that the 2x8s will look great. I don't even have to tell you about the hundreds of thousands of kitchens that use the standard subway tile and look hella terrific. What are you concerned about specifically? Perhaps I can help.

Hi, I saw your kitchen in another thread and saw that you have the same granite as I do, Santa Cecilia. I am also planning on painting my cabs a creamy white. Right now, I'm agonizing over the backsplash. What backsplash did you use? The ones my granite fabricator suggested was the country beige tumbled travertine and I'm wondering how that might look with white glazed cabs and travertine/porcelain tile floor. Here's a previous thread I posted asking for backsplash feedback. Thanks!

Our grout is lightly colored, not white, & I'll have to look up what our GC used. Our grout color is matched to the same tone as the stone wall that butts up against the backsplash on one wall & over our upper cabinets. It harmonizes nicely with the tiles. While we enjoy the variety of the onyx, we didn't want individual tiles to be obvious; we wanted them to blend when viewed at a distance.

I'm not sure how I came across this post, I think it was displayed on the right side and I clicked on it being intrigued by the tile making. I was at one time interested in working with papercrete and hypertufa. But after enlisting my brother, who wasn't as enthusiastic, and my niece, who poured cement down my laundry room sink, which original to the house had lasted 70 years, and ruining three blenders, my interest waned. True to form, if I come upon difficulty in a project, I think of it as a sign for me not to continue. And really, after all these years of trying various crafts that result in crap, I should know better. I also should have known better than to ask my brother, who always says it can't be done to any of my unique design ideas. And I should have known better than to ask my niece, who once stayed up all night before having to drive to LA for an art show, cutting mat after mat after measuring once, twice, sometimes ten times, but always coming out with the wrong size. I think we both have math dyslexia. I should video us trying anything crafty to see where we go wrong. I think both of us having ADHD might have something to do with it. Sorry for the backstory and run on sentences. So, I just wanted to see if you continued with your venture. And to say sorry for whatever tragedy occurred to cause you to have to move to Florida. Not that there is anything wrong with Florida, but it isn't Panama. Which is one of my favorite places in the western hemisphere. I hope no one is upset that I brought up a seven year old post.